


he sings a love song

by theafterimages



Series: frat au [6]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 15:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3655758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theafterimages/pseuds/theafterimages
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongdae gathers the courage to ask Liyin out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	he sings a love song

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hushboys (taemin)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taemin/gifts).



> Originally posted [here](http://eveninadream.livejournal.com/11331.html#cutid2) in February 2015. Set during December 2010.

Jongdae is unusually quiet as Baekhyun and their families talk, though he chimes in when necessary and smiles at his mom every time she pats the arm that he’s linked through hers. 

The truth is, most of his attention is on Liyin. As one of the soloists for Cartwright’s winter holidays music program—and one of the seniors—she’s been surrounded by a steady stream of friends and admirers, and though Jongdae’s been waiting for an opportunity to talk to her alone, his heart pounding every time he thinks about why, he hasn’t seen any arise yet.

Then she’s saying good-bye to the people around her and heading out of the building, and Jongdae knows his time has come. “I’ll be right back,” he says quickly and hurries after her, ignoring how he can hear Baekhyun laughing.

“Liyin!” Jongdae calls once he’s outside, shivering at the chill in the air. She turns, her eyes wide with surprise. She’s _beautiful_ , he thinks, like he has on the few other occasions he’s tried to gather his courage and ask her out. Before he’s always chickened out, but tonight he’s determined.

“I wanted to tell you,” he begins once he closes the distance between them. He swallows as he takes in her expectant look. “You, um. You were amazing.”

She smiles, bright and pleased, like it matters to her that _he’s_ the one saying it. “Thanks, Jongdae.”

“Yeah, I…” He’s distracted by the sudden sharp, icy wind that whips past them, ruining the peace of the clear night. His kneejerk wail is cut off as he sees Liyin shiver violently, huddling into her short black coat. “Are you cold? Do you want to borrow my coat?”

“I’ll be okay,” she assures him. “My dorm’s only a few minutes away.”

“I can walk you—if you want,” he adds quickly. “Then you can give me my coat back when we get there.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to be cold.”

“I’m not the one wearing a dress,” he points out lightly, and does not think about how he’d had trouble resisting stealing looks at her legs backstage earlier that night.

She smiles. “Okay. Thank you.”

He quickly shrugs out of his coat and drapes it over her shoulders, barely able to believe any of this is happening. Baekhyun would say something about how it looks better on her than it ever has on him, he thinks as he watches her pull it on, and just the thought of saying something like that himself has him biting back an embarrassed laugh. “Are you warmer?” he asks instead as they set off.

“Much, thank you,” she says. “But if you need it back before we get there, just let me know.”

“I won’t,” he says, even though he’s already finding it difficult not to shiver. 

She looks at him. “You did well tonight, too, you know.”

“Thanks.” He rubs the back of his neck, shy as always under her gaze. “I mean, I was just with everyone else, I didn’t get any lines or anything…”

“I can still always hear you,” she assures him. “You have a really nice voice.”

Everything else about Jongdae is still cold, but now his face is rapidly heating up. He hopes the campus lights aren’t bright enough that she can see his blush. “Thanks,” he chokes out.

She nudges him. “Soon you’ll be getting solos, too.”

He laughs, flustered, and hastens to deflect the compliment. “There are a lot of people in the program who could instead.”

“You will,” she says, with so much certainty that he can’t help from smiling.

“Thanks, Liyin.”

After a brief silence, Jongdae gathers his courage once again. Now or never, he tells himself. This is it, and not just because Baekhyun will never let him hear the end of it if Jongdae chickens out yet _again_. “Liyin?” he blurts out.

“Hmm?”

“I, um. I was wondering if, after break, sometime…”

“Sometime?” she prompts.

He swallows. “If you’d like to go for coffee, or get something to eat, or something? With me. As a date.”

She stops short, studying him with astonished eyes, and the few seconds before she smiles again seem to last an eternity. “I’d like that,” she agrees.

(He’s still grinning on his way back to the auditorium, burying his face in the upturned collar of his coat, both to block out the wind and to smell the lingering hint of her perfume.)


End file.
